Brian
by subwayguy
Summary: This is a story about Bramblepaw and the cats as human. It will explore how hard it is for Bramblepaw to live with his family. Bramblepaw is living alone with his mother in Thunderclan. His father is sometimes allowed to visit from Shadowclan. Him, Squirrelpaw and Leafpaw must find a way to pursue their own private destinies.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Hi! This is my first story so this first chapter will probably be very short. I need to get an opportunity to test the waters so I can understand what is going on. This is a Warriors fanfiction in which warriors have been converted to humans. They have human names and I had to make some new laws so as to better integrate cats, humans, and a logical civic environment. This chapter will probably involve the basic laws of the community. I give many thanks to the four authors that make up Erin Hunter and all that inspired them. And…we have The Prologue

Prologue

Finnis Flame surveyed the booklet laid out before him. It was well worn from many hands rubbing along its surface, searching for answers. And now it was his turn. He flipped to the section involving mentoring. And then to the section involving The Queen's Laws.

54. Any child that is deemed to not being taken care of responsibly will be taken away to either live with their mentors or such clanmate able to care for the child.

55. The mother of this child will be required to renounce her association with said child and take a position in the clan as a Queen.

56. Queen homes will be built by apprentice builders as practice and checked by their mentor.

57. Queens will be hunted for by apprentice hunters as…

Lord Flame slammed the book closed. It was no use. He rose to his feet and headed down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"Daddy!" a voice yelled, "Dinnertime!"

Finnis entered the room and sat down. "Guess what happened today, Finnis," the pale blonde woman across from him asked. "What!" he said irritably. There was a tense silence for several seconds. Scarlet and Leah quickly finished their meal and excused themselves. Sierra Flame was still glaring at her partner. "What is your problem today!" she hissed angrily. He didn't respond for a few minutes, using the excuse of biting into the extra dish Scarlet had made. [Basically whatever she threw together from the garden plus some random spices and creams. On watery bread.] "Bllaauuuaagh!" Lord Flame yelled, jumping to his feet and running over to the cupboard to wash it down with something strong. When he reached into the cupboard he heard a cough behind him. He turned around, about to tell Sierra that she is a hypocrite because had wine just last night. He was instead met with the dark green eyes of his daughter, Leah. After placing the bottle back in the cupboard, she very sternly instructed her 'Daddy' on the dangers of drinking. She was then assured by said Daddy that he would dispose of such products. While she went to go get her medical gloves to assist him in 'ridding the household of such horrible intoxications', Sierra turned on him. She was furious. " I have decided to expose Mrs. Clark to the courts" he blurted. Her eyes narrowed. "It's the law, Sierra," he protested weakly. "Oh right, the law" she said, "tell that to Gwen when she loses her son!"

Author's Note: So that is it. I will post another chapter after five reviews. Just to clarify, this happens a month after the next chapter.

**FOR CLARIFICATION: I WROTE THIS CHAPTER WHEN I WAS FIRST LEARNING PROPER BOOK FORMATTING. PLEASE JUDGE BY NEXT CHAPTER.**


	2. Chapter 1-Simone

Authors Note-

Hello. I know I said that I was going to wait until I got five reviews, but now I am starting to realize that I myself never review on just the short prologue unless there is a joke that I just have to comment about. I have also decided to change squirrelflight the humans name to Simone. I am also changing this story to rated T. So here it is. The first chapter in my awesome story.

Simone ran along the long curving staircases that ran around her home. Usually she would be afraid of the height, but today she was late to her science class and she was going to be in a lot of trouble with Healer Frost.

"Got to hurry, got to hurry," she muttered as she ran.

She raced down the steps and onto the street. Barreling towards the door, she barely caught herself before slammed into it. She yanked the door open and was faced with a class of about six or seven, all staring at her.

"Hello, Ms. Flame, the short woman with sandy blonde hair said, Glad you could join us."

"Sorry Healer Frost," Simone said.

"Please join us. Your sister was just about to tell us about the many uses of Aloe Vera."

Trying her best not to think reproachful thoughts abut her sister, Simone dragged herself to her seat as her sister answered the question.

"Aloe Vera, Leah was saying, is very useful for osteoarthritis, it is antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, and it is a potent laxative, it is very good for wounds and burns and helps with skin disorders."

"Thank you, Ms. Flame, Healer Frost stated, next!"

"Birch Robin!"

Birch got to his feet and strode confidently to the front of the room.

"What's my question?"

"If you take all the moons of all the planets combined, then add them together. What is the answer when divided by three?"

"Umm…"

Simone slumped in her seat. This was going to be a long class. At least tomorrow is the weekend. The rest of the class passed into a hazy blur. Simone answered a question incorrectly at the end.

"Ms. Flame! A word please!"

Simone dragged her weary legs up to the front of the room. She could already see Healer Frost loosening up to become the fun-loving family friend that her sister practically worshipped.

Hopping up on the desk awkwardly, because of her one-legged status, Cinder Frost began.

"Simone."

"Cinder."

Cinder sighed. "You need to try harder."

Simone said nothing.

"I am going to have to talk to your father."

Still nothing.

"It will affect you being chosen by a mentor."

Simone looked away.

Cinder sighed. "You may go now, Simone."

Simone nodded and turned to go.

"Oh and Simone!" Cinder called. "Give your father my regards." The last part was said much quieter.

Simone paused for a moment, then nodded again and turned to leave. As Simone headed out the door, she was the image of submissive obedience. She looked like a completely reformed student. But it all changed as she rounded the corner. Her face split into a happy grin and she skipped down the steps toward the small hollow underneath the stairs were she played under stairs with her friends. Sophie, Rain, Whitney, Ash, Leah and Simone. They were THE group. Anybody who was anybody was with her group. Leah wasn't there very often. She was probably studying now.

"C'mon Simone, let's go play around Sky Oak."

"Yeah."

"Let's go!"

"I'm in!" Simone agreed.

They headed across camp towards the entrance. As they arrived at the entrance another group of kids started towards it. Leah was with them.

"Leah! What are you doing with them! Come over here!" Simone called.

Leah glanced around guiltily before heading towards Simone as the group that she had just left watched her silently. Simone waited for her to come closer, glaring at her all the way.

"What is your deal?" Simone said.

"Yeah"

"Why were you with them?"

"Did your mom ask you to?"

"It is nothing", Leah murmured.

"Well whatever, let's go." Sophie said.

As they headed out of the camp, the other group followed them. Still Simone and company trekked onward. Simone's face was stoically set as she marched forwards. When they arrived at the Sky Oak she whirled on the other set.

"What are you doing here?" She said.

Brian was standing in the front. "We have just as much right to be here as you do."

"Whatever. If you think you deserve to be here then climb the Sky Oak. Whoever gets higher gets to hang around here." Simone smirked. No one climbs Sky Oak. It is against the rules. And Simone knew that if they were caught, Brian's friends would be put to blame.

"Okay" Brian said. This simple statement threw Simone completely off. She hadn't thought that he would accept. Her eyes widened slightly. Behind her Whitney was whispering to Sophie.

"Right…then, Let's get started" Simone tried to hide the shaking in her voice as she looked up at the colossal tree. Its trunk towered overhead and three of the clan's warriors couldn't stretch their arms around it. The first branch was high up, but the bark was so old that Simone could spot several handholds and grooves in its thick, moss-laden bark. She could barely see were the branches got skinnier, but the danger was below. On some of the lower branches a thick, clingy, slimy moss grew. One false slip there and a hard thunk on the head going down and you could be paralyzed for life, best-case scenario. Even as Simone thought of all these dangers that she had heard about, the fear that hung over the tree like a cloud of congealing fog, she was stepping forward. Simone wanted to be a warrior. She would fight for her place.

"So, She said, the fear now gone from her voice. Let us begin."

They both stepped forwards and bowed in a mock imitation of warrior duels. Then they turned to face the great tree. Together they found purchase upon the craggy surface. Up they went. At an almost even pace they grappled their way to the first branch. When she hauled herself over the first branch, Simone realized that they were both to stubborn. This contest would end in a fall. She tried not to think about what could greet the loser at the bottom. Glancing up, she realized that Brian was already half way to the next branch. She scurried after him. Using the practice from her many lessons from her father, she leaped nimbly from branch to branch. Four branches up from that first one she glanced upward again to see that Brian was darting from limb to limb with no regard for his own safety.

_Why?_

Then she realized. The rules stated that you had to get the highest, not stay up the longest. If he fell, the game would be over, and he would win. If he didn't fall, then she would fall catching up to him. He knew he was a faster climber than her. As she came to this conclusion, she saw him slip. She saw his fingers scrabbling for hold on the slippery moss. She watched as he arched his back as he fell. He dropped down past her and hit the ground far below with a sickening crack.

Simone heard screams beneath her and tried to climb down, but couldn't find handholds close to her. She felt panic swelling in her throat as her fingers began to slip. She clung on desperately and at last managed to heave herself over the large limb that she was hanging onto. She lay there shivering until she heard a voice call up from below.

"Simone?"

_Father!_

"I am up here!" She called.

"I am coming up to get you" he called back.

She heard him climbing up the tree behind her and saw him clambering onto the branch beside her. A moment later she felt his hand on her arm. She gave a mental sigh of relief as he helped her down from the tree. When she finally reached the bottom, she saw that Brian was being taken away on a stretcher, directed by Cinder Frost.

"Careful on that bump!"

"If you drop him you will be sorry!"

Simone followed the other clan members back to camp. She noticed that most of the parents of her group were there, but not as many of Brian's friend's were.

When they arrived at camp Cinder hustled the stretcher and Brian as fast as she could towards the medicine den.

"Brian!" She heard a voice call "Is he okay?"

A Golden-haired woman came running towards the medicine den.

"Dad" she whispered, "Who's that?"

"That" he responded, "is Gwendolyn Clark."

Simone's mother came past, calling out to Gwendolyn.

"Do you need any help, Gwen?"

The woman turned around to say

"No. I have got it handled, Sierra."

She said it in a very cold tone of voice.

"Oh…okay" Sierra turned around and made her back towards them.

"Mom isn't she the one who married Tiger Clark?"

"Yes."

"How come?"

"She loved him."

"How do you know?"

"Okay, that is enough questions." Finnis did not seem to want to discuss it.

As they headed back to camp, Simone couldn't help thinking that she was pretty stupid.

_I mean, what kind of idiot marries and has two children with the Lord of Dark Places. She must be simple-minded. If she had married someone like father or Mr. Willow, then he would have more friends._


	3. Chapter 2-Leah

Author's Note-

Hello! Amazing reviews! I want to thank you guys for existing! It is FABULOUS SPAZZ BUNNIES! I had an idea for a little challenge thingy. Each character has three major problems with them. So far these chapters have only dealt with two characters. The next chapter will talk about Brian, I promise. I am sort of a slow typist and this is my dad's work computer. So…I have made up at least five billion dramatic story ideas in warriors. I once challenged my friend to come up with a warrior cat that doesn't have dramatic past. She still can't. So…whoever can guess at least one of the characters three problems, then they get priority for suggesting my next story. I will PM you to tell you which ones are right. When someone gets them all right you cannot guess on that character anymore. Enjoy!

Leah Flame hovered nervously outside of Cinder Frost's den.

_Oh my Starclan! What if she catches me? What will I say? She probably thinks that I am immature! I'm just a stupid little warrior-to-be to her. I don't even really want to be a warrior. Or do I? I know that Squirrel is going to be. Father wants me to be. If Father wants me to be warrior, then I will be._

Leah crept closer to the window and peeked in. Cinder was reading. Leah tilted her head to read the title of the book.

_History of Stupidity; Warriors can't be that thick, can they? by Healer Yana Fang_

Nope. Not it.

She read the next title in the pile next to Cinder.

_Training; A guide to introspection by Lord Owl_

_Cinder has a book on training? How weird is that? Does that mean that she wants to choose an apprentice? If she chose me, would I say yes? Father would be disappointed. He calls us his little warriors. I will ask him his opinion on healers tonight. _

Leah jumped as Cinder put her bookmark in place and set her book down. Then Cinder walked out of the room. This was her chance. Leah crept in through the window and scanned the shelves. There it is! A guide to magic! She grabbed the heavy book down off the shelf and had just clambered back into the undergrowth when she heard Cinder returning. As Cinder reentered the room, she smiled down at the book.

_Now she could actually learn something! She would learn what the ancient warriors learned so long ago! Wait, whom did they learn it from? Did they just know it? Or did Starclan teach them? But Starclan is dead cats, right? So how did they learn it when they were alive? Father says that half of fighting is instinctual. So did they learn it from trial and error? Or did other creatures teach it to them? If other creatures taught them, then when did the creatures learn it? I should put this in my Book of Questions…_

Leah jumped at a sudden noise. She realized that she that she had been standing there for more than ten minutes. It was getting close to ten o'clock at night. With a few last ruminations on the topic, she headed towards home. She leaped up the branches in the tree line and jumped from tree to tree. When she arrived in the tree above her home, she dropped down on the front stoop and opened the door just in time to hear the tail end of her sister's lecture about climbing the Sky Oak.

"…That was very dangerous, Simone" her father was saying, "I trust that you won't do it again."

"Yes, Father."

"And you are confined to camp."

"Okay."

Leah brushed past her sister to her room. As she pushed open the door, she went over to the smallest of her three bookshelves. It was filled with notebooks. She ran her fingers along the spines of the books and picked up the last book. She flipped to a blank page and, by the light of a candle, wrote in her questions. She left a sizable space after each question, as if she expected each one to be answered, someday. Then she pulled out a random notebook and let it fall open. She looked down at the question that it had fallen open to.

_How many stars are there in the galaxy?_

Leah sighed. She remembered asking Father that question.

"_Couldn't be more than are questions in your brain." he had said. "You would need to invent a new number for that."_

Another sigh. That was Father.

_Wait…a new number? How far up do numbers go? Couldn't you just keep on making more and more numbers and saying that they are the highest? Isn't infinity the highest? What about infinity and one? Infinity and two? Infinity times Infinity? Infinity cubed?_

"LEAH, TIME FOR BED!" Simone yelled.

"I am getting ready!"

Leah quickly replaced her book, got ready as quickly as possible and headed out to say goodnight to her father. As she entered, she heard Simone give Father Healer Frost's regards. She saw father nod back.

"Leah!" her father called " Goodnight!"

She entered the room.

"Goodnight" She said.

She waited for Simone to leave before turning to her father.

"What do you think of Healers?"

"Healers?" Finnis laughed. "I think that it is a waste of time!"

"You do?"

"There are much better things to do with your time than puttering around among herbs."

"Oh…what do you think about it, Mother?"

Sierra turned around and looked at Leah. " I think we all have expectations to fight for our clan, if you don't want to fight, you belong with the elders."

Leah nodded and headed back down the hallway towards her room.

_I wonder what Cinder would say? Would she think I was brave to be a Healer? How can you fight for you clan always? I mean…_

_NO! JUST STOP ASKING QUESTIONS! YOU ARE A WARRIOR NOW!_

_Now? How do you become a warrior that quick? Is it automatic? Or is it like metamorphosis…_

_SHUT UP HEAD! WHY DO I HAVE TO BE SO DIFFERENT!_

Leah cried herself to sleep that night.

_I bet Simone 'just knows'…_

Authors Note- Thoughts? Please review. I am just like Leah. Asking constant questions. So tell me which one you identify with so far! Bye


	4. Chapter 3- Brian

Author's Note-

Hello everybody! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Finally we have gotten to the main character's POV! There is something else that I forgot to say the other chapters, but I was inspired to love and have hope for fanfiction because of Holly of the Night, who is really a fantastic author. Her story Temptations of an Uninterested Single Tom has not yet been trumped as a perfect balance of everything that I look for in a fanfiction. I also give thanks to Alya505x whose fanfiction Two Points for Honesty helped me come up with some of my human names. I don't think either of them is on the site any more, but they are fantastic. Both of their imaginations spark into writing in a way mine never will.

Brian leaned against the wall and rested his arm on the shelf next to him. He stretched and glanced around his room. The room had been cleaned considerably well. He opened the door to his room and stepped into the kitchen/dining room. When he opened the door to the pantry it seemed pathetically empty. He was not supposed to hunt with his right arm still in it's broken condition and his mother was never cut out for hunting in the first place. She could fight well for her clan; his mother was fiercely loyal to her family.

_And loyalty is what has gotten her into trouble. _

Brian trembled faintly with feelings that he could not hope to comprehend or control.

_She loves him!_

_But why!_

_You know she won't leave him._

_I hate him!_

_He is part of you._

Brian slammed his hand down on the table. It was no use. His parentage was a plague that that had no cure.

_Wherever it goes, the scent of death lingers._

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Brian! Your father is here to visit you."

_No! Not today! Not with evidence of his weakness scattered about the house. _

Brian quickly closed the door to the empty pantry and turned to face his father, hiding his broken arm behind his back.

"Welcome Father. It is a pleasure to see you again."

"Good to see you to, Brian."

Brian stared at the man that he loathed with all his being.

"Shall we eat?" Tiger Clark said, condescension obvious in every syllable.

"Yes!" Gwendolyn jumped into the conversation, seeming not to notice the stiffness between father and son. "Brian, you show your father to the sitting room, and I will prepare dinner."

"Actually why don't I do that." Brian said. He knew his mother would ask Brian why there wasn't any food in the pantry and then he would be forced to explain to his father about his broken arm and the shortage of prey. Lord Flame would never trust him if he couldn't keep his mouth shut about Thunderclan's problems.

_This is the Lord of Shadowclan I am talking about, for Starclan's sake._

Although Lord Clark raised his eyebrow at this, he still followed his ecstatic spouse into the sitting room, closing the door behind them. Brian sighed and leaned against the oak table. A few seconds later he was up pulling the last few scraps of squirrel meat from the cupboarda chucking the meager supply into a clean pot. He decided to make soup with the meat and some of the vegetables left over from last year. When the soup was simmering, he had just re-settled back into his chair when someone grabbed his injured arm and jerked it up painfully. Brian barely swallowed a grunt of pain as his father inspected the cast.

"What is this?" Tiger Clark growled. "Did my _son_ trip and _fall_? Is this his _Band-Aid_?"

He grabbed Brian by his left shoulder and yanked him to his feet. He pushed Brian against the wall, taking great care to be silent, as not to upset Gwen. After carefully aligning Brian's arm with the wall, began to apply slow pressure on the break until Brian wanted to scream from agony.

_I'm scared. I'mscaredI'mscaredI'mscared. _This was the mantra that repeated through Brian's mind until Mr. - no his _father _released him.

_He is part of you._

Father dropped him onto the wood floor.

_Floors are hard. I never realized how hard floors were before I was dropped on one with a tortured broken arm. It's ironic too. I laid down this floor. And now it is giving me Hell._

In a daze Brian heard his father telling his mother that Brian was going to get some fresh air. He caught the message loud and clear. In a daze, Brian stumbled out the back door into the woods. He ran through the darkening forest as light drained from the world. Before long he heard the trickling of the stream up ahead. He collapsed next to it and felt the world spiraling down into blackness.

_He is part of you…_

_Strange dreams danced along the cusp of his consciousness. He was falling and then flying. Time and hopes drifted through his outstretched hands. He felt as if he was hurtling through life without a chance to savor. He heard again his mother announce that his father had arrived, but this time it was Lord Flame reached out to embrace him, eyes and face filled with love. His entire being was straining to be with him… his true father. Then Finnis passed him by. His face showing love and comfort only to the loyal, clanborn children behind Brian. He was flying… flying away. The face of the little girl turned towards him was twisted with shock and outrage, looking down from the moss-laden branches of an old oak…_

Brian awoke to a persistent digging in his ribs. He rolled over, groaning and felt a jolt of pain as his arm scraped over ground. He sat up and squinted at the crazy, red-haired figure before him.

"Whaaa…"

"Wake up sleepy face!" she ordered.

"Simone!" Brian tried to jump to his feet, but fell back with a small noise of agony. "What are you doing out here!"

"What are _you_ do out here. That is the _real_ question." She looked outraged that he had even tried to ask.

He rolled his eyes and pulled himself over to prop against a rock.

"What happened to you." She asked.

"None of your business." He responded briskly and left no room for argument. While he said it he began rolling up his sleeve to examine his cast. It had been cracked, and beneath it Brian could see a nasty bruise. He checked his shoulder to reveal several more larger, splotchy bruises. The muscles in his shoulder also felt sore. She watched all this with wide eyes.

"Were you trampled by a badgerman or something?" She exclaimed. "That looks bad. You should see The Healer."

"Go away!" Brian grumped.

"But…" She started to tell him.

"No!" he hissed. "And don't tell your father either!"

He stomped away before she could answer, her words still echoing in his mind…

_That looks bad. Were you trampled by a badgerman or something?_

_You are part of him… part of him is you._


	5. Chapter 4- Lord of Dark Places

Author's Note-

Hello! I am glad to be back and typing even though I didn't go anywhere! I hope this chapter will be longer and more descriptive than the last. I have a problem with describing what I see and feel in my head. And without further ado… the chapter!

Simone blinked. Soft sunlight filtered into her bedroom, making patterns on her green quilt. She yawned and rolled over, drawing the comforter over her head and running her fingers through her red hair. She blinked again, feeling her eyes slowly closing as she stretched from head to toe, sensing the muscles flexing in the arch of her foot and her ankles. With her stretch came a feeling of perfect contentment and a rush of strength. With tossed her twisted sheets aside and jumped to her feet looking around the sun- dappled room. The hardwood walls were unpainted, and she could see the matching lines in the grain of the wood running together across the old wood. She hopped happily across the room to her dresser and pulled out plain brown pants and a green shirt. She grabbed a long open- fronted jacket, which she belted at the waist. She slipped on her boots and rushed into the next room to braid her hair in front of the mirror in the plain washing- room that she shared with her sister. Stretching again in front of the mirror, Simone contemplated Leah Flame. She was always asking weird questions and reading strange books. Simone had covered for her on more than one occasion.

"I don't know why she finds any of that stuff interesting," Simone muttered to herself. "She could put herself to much better use helping her clan."

But Simone's thoughts wandered yet again to a strange encounter last night. When sneaking out of camp to avoid her father's punishment, she had come across Brian, kneeling in the woods. He had been mumbling under his breath and clutching his broken arm. When he first awoke, she had noticed that he had been crying. Her mind immediately spun towards derision at this show of cowardice. Then she saw his injuries. She almost trembled again as she saw the large purplish bruises that decorated his arm. When she returned home, she had copied what she remembered from the shape and size of the brutal markings and shown her sister to ask her opinion. Leah had detailed out for her how the contours of a large adult's hand would have fit Brian's injury. Simone's mind stalled at the thought of how Brian must have been beaten by someone at least twice as large as he was. Her first instinct was to run to her father and tell him of what had happened, but her memories touched upon how he had begged her not to tell. That was the part that confused her. _Why wouldn't he want her to tell? _

_Father could help him! _She thought. _Why didn't he want her to tell?_

His desperate face flashed before her eyes. Her hand tightened on the comb that she held in one hand. It had almost been a moon since she and Brian had climbed the tree together and his broken arm should be well on the way towards a healthy healing. Now it would take Brian even more time to reach full strength. Simone put down her brush and admired her neatly plaited hair before heading out of the washing- room and down the hallway towards the kitchen. When she arrived she realized that her father must have already been there, because the sink had an empty coffee cup and plate inside. The plate had a few crumbs left over from the buttered roll that her father consumed every morning. A few dregs were left in the cup, but other than that, it had been drained. Simone grabbed roll for her and a basket to go to the market and visit her friends. Still engrossed in the dilemma of whether or not to tell her father of Brian's problem, she headed out the door and into the bright sunlight. She shivered and pulled her jacket closer as a chill wind stirred a few tendrils that escaped from her hair. Marching down the beautifully carved, wooden steps that intertwined in a latticework of delicate artistry all over the city that her clan populated, she surveyed her clan with the air and grace of a visiting monarch. Children, not yet apprenticed, dodged around the feet of warriors and apprentices that chatted and weaved their way under the sculpted archways that held up the uppers levels. Above them more figure rested on stone railings. The houses themselves were modest affairs. The lower ones were made of dark wood and rested firmly in the hard- packed earth, with occasional gardens. These 'lowers', housed the gardeners and shopkeepers. In the very center the Healers resided, with their great library and schooling rooms. The next level up was home to the clans fighting force. The stairways leading down from these huts were placed at strategic positions to give the warriors a greatest advantage against any enemy patrols that decided to invade Thunder City. Next up were the hunters and huntresses'. They had slit windows on both sides of their huts, as to strike down any foxers or badgermen that might fancy Thunderclan flesh. Then there were the builders. They did not build houses, which were the job of the new families to build their own homes. They built Child's home and the outer wall. The Child's home was were children that had parents that were unwilling or incapable of caring for their children. The outer wall was strong and constantly being improved. One could only enter through small constantly guarded gates at the bottom. There were five gates and each had a heavy door with cross iron bar to protect the city. At the very top Simone stood before the leader's home and next door the deputy's and senior warrior's lived. Outside the big dark forest pressed at the boundaries of their settlement, dwarfing it in size and majesty. The Sky Oak towered in the distance like a disproving god. Simone began to hop down the stairs, taking them two at a time because of her excitement to see her friends and immerse herself in the bustle of city life. She bounded along the builders level to the next staircase and rushed down the remaining levels to the 'lowers'. As soon as her feet hit the ground she was off, running along towards the weaponry shop to stare at the warriors weapons before heading back up to the builders level to visit her best friend Sophie Frost. Sophie's father was a builder and her mother was a hunter, but since Sophie wanted to be closer to Simone, they lived on the higher level. She then planned to find a quiet nook somewhere under one of the arches and give Brian's problem some deeper thinking. As she neared the shop her eyes widened at the slender swords and beautifully curved bows. She longed to take the short, elegant dagger that she saw hanging in the front window and give it an experimental swing to test its heft and length. She admired with a practiced eye how perfect the sheath seemed to fit the deadly weapon. Her gaze traveled down to examine the complexity of the buckle and hypothesized that it would probably cost a gardener or shopkeeper two to three months pay to manage just the harness. To bad she couldn't scrutinize the authenticity of the blade to calculate the total cost.

But she wasn't allowed to disturb unless she was a serious buyer, and as a pre- apprentice, she was definitely not a serious buyer. She ogled the weapon all the same before zigzagging away through the throng. Before long she was bouncing back towards the nearest staircase.

When she arrived at Sophie's house the door flew open and Sophie flew out to tackle Simone in a breath- quenching, rib- breaking hug. Laughing breathlessly Sophie gestured Simone inside and began to talk Simone's ear into exhaustion.

"Where have you been?" Sophie exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in forever! I thought your father only confined you to the city."

"Yeah." Simone said, sitting down on her friends couch and dropping her basket, which was full of groceries. "But I needed to catch up on my studying."

"Oh…" Sophie looked around. "Well! Good thing that it is the weekend, right?"

"Yep!" Simone said, perking up immediately. "We are going to have 'tons of funs'."

Sophie laughed.

Simone joined in and for a long time they laughed together, practically shaking with hilarity. Their hysterical laughter ended only when Simone began to display the items that she had picked up for them.

"I got some rolls, the new book in the series 'A Warriors Life'…"

"Ooh…" Sophie gasped. "Did you really! I can't wait!"

"No interrupting." Simone said teasingly. "I'm not through yet."

"Alright, alright, get a move on!" Sophie bounced impatiently.

"I also got…" Simone stretched out the silence invitingly, dangling the unfinished tendril of thought and making Sophie practically vibrate with impatience. Simone whipped out a medium- sized wood box. "Maps! We can play strategy games! I brought blank pieces too, to make our own and a knife to carve players out of bits of wood."

"Come on then! Sophie said. "Let's go play!"

The two girls ran out to the small square of earth behind Sophie's house and set up their game. Sophie weighed down the sheets of paper with small rocks while Simone spread one of Sophie's quilts. Sophie fetched her own knife and they began to carve. They both chose to carve cats and for a long time the silence was broken only by Sophie's quiet humming. After a while she began to sing.

_Home is behind,_

Simone finished her figure and made it bounce around the board in triumph.

_The world ahead,_

Simone flopped back on the blanket, allowing the sun to beat down on her face, making her eyelids glow from the inside and filling Simone with a warm tingling sensation.

_And there are many paths to tread._

Simone could almost feel herself running in a verdant forest, feeling dew on prickling pine needles sooth her and bring strength.

_Through shadow,_

A cloud drifted overhead, momentarily cooling Simone, the aftereffects of the heat made feel like she was coming out from a warm cocoon, a refreshing breeze revitalizing her senses.

_To the edge of night,_

Simone was still, stars wheeling in her head.

_Until the stars are all alight._

The stars grew brighter still.

_Mist and shadow,_

Clouds came. It was almost as if lightning crackled over Simone's vision.

_Cloud and shade,_

The invigorating cold had something sweet and seductive about it… _"Come to me." _It seemed to whisper. _"Come rest in the penumbra of the sun and hide from all that reveals…"_

Simone shifted. The stars began to twinkle out.

_All shall fade,_

The blanket bunched in Simone's fist. _Shadow. Lord of Shadows… Lord of Dark Places. The Lord of Dark Places! _Simone's eyes snapped open. _The Lord of Dark Places is Brian's father! It must have been him that did it to Brian. No one else would come around on his visiting night! And Mrs. Clark would never do that. _Simone mind was racing with the gravity of her newest discovery. _Father should know this._

_All shall fade._

_I must tell father._

Sophie had finished her song and the girls flocked around the board and played until they could see the sun setting in the distance. Simone said goodbye to Sophie before heading back towards home. She shivered and drew her jacket tighter and walked faster as she rushed homeward, Brian's panicked face flashing in her mind.

Author's Note-

Here I am! I hope this chapter was more descriptive. The challenge is still running. The song Sophie sung is from Lord of the Rings and is really cool if you listen to it while reading. Just Google 'Edge of Night theme' or 'Pippin's Song' and it should come up. If you don't recognize it, it has a guy in a scarf. Please Review!I already have my next few chapters written, but i need 15 reveiws before i update.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note- Hello! This is the next chapter! That is happy, right? Remember, I am not an adult or even in high school, so please respect my lack of knowledge on being all grownup-y. So that is it… or is it? I still have that competition up. You need to tell me three problems that the characters have to deal with and you get to pick what characters will be the main characters for my next story.

Leah woke with a start as crack of thunder split the air. Several seconds later the room was lit with a bright ghostly flash as the lightning sizzled silently outside her window. The brunette ran to the window when a loud flapping and slamming noise started up. Her shutters had come loose and the wind was slamming them around violently. She grabbed at them as her face was pelted with tiny raindrops, their speed turning them into missiles. Her now thoroughly wet hands managed to catch a hold on to the slick, rusted metal handles attached to the shutters. With a firm heave, she yanked them towards her so they shut with a bang. She fastened the latch and looked down with dismay at her wet nightclothes. There was a puddle growing on the floor under and rain-tossed droplets had made there way all over her room. She felt her way over to her chest at the foot of her bed and grabbed some towels. She then dug through her clean linens to retrieve a candle and an old pack of matches from the bottom of the old wooden trunk. After some consideration she returned the matches. Making her way across the room to her desk she paced the candle on it and sat down on her stool, glaring at the candle with fierce concentration. Lightning illuminated her determined features through the shutters and… the candle sparked to life. Grinning in triumph she changed into dry nightclothes that she retrieved from her dresser and wiped up the mess. The rain began to slow and she looked out the window to see that the clouds were clearing away and she could see the moon's positioning in the sky. It appeared to be 5:00 in the morning. Leah sighed and reached under her bed to retrieve the cloth- wrapped bundle from underneath her bed. She unwrapped the bundle carefully and placed the guide to magic on her desk with a reverence rarely shown among the Flames. She opened the book to the first displayed page and read the only passage she could translate again.

_BE WARY YOUNG FRIEND. DO NOT BE DECEIVED. THIS PATH LEADS ONLY TO WRONGDOING. CLOSE THIS BOOK. NEVER AGAIN TREAD UPON THE PATH TO ISOLATION. COLDNESS WAITS. IF YOU PLUNGE INTO THE WILD TEMPEST BEFORE YOU, LET IT BE YOUR SOLACE IN THE DARKEST NIGHTS THAT I AM THE LAST TO TREAT YOU AS AN EQUAL._

Beyond that the book was filled with strange symbols. She recognized some from her forays into some of the ancient tomes that made their home at the back of the library. From what she had discerned so far, there seemed to 52 common top symbols, which are divided by a dash, like fractions. There were 10 lower symbols. Leah had made a list of the top symbols and had come to the conclusion that they represented the 52 sounds in her language. She had no way of telling which ones they each represented. She resolved to ask Cinder if she could use her library under the pretense of wanting to do some studies on the upcoming warrior's tests. Leah involuntarily shivered as the daunting prospect of the tests passed on the forefront of her mind. The tests involved a series of challenges in which the competitor performed in front of a group of judges and the majority of the city. Potential mentors would step forward to request the guardians of the performers for their apprenticeship. For Cinder to be Leah's mentor, Finnis would have to agree. She knew that was incredibly unlikely. Soft light was beginning to filter in through the shutters, and Leah heard her father and mother rising with the sun. She closed the book hurriedly and wrapped it quickly before shoving it under the bed along with her notes. She dressed before heading down to the kitchen towards the smell of scrambled eggs. She came in just as her father handed off the scrambled eggs he had started to his spouse, before hurrying out the door to some meeting or another. Sierra finished up the scrambled eggs and, turning around, noticed Leah in the doorway.

"Come on in. Come on in. Having a good morning?" She said. After setting the eggs down on the table and putting them into a large wooden bowl, she beckoned her daughter forward.

"Fine." Leah said. "The thunder woke me. There was a storm in the night."

"There was." Sierra laughed. "I'm glad I'm not on the dawn patrol. The forest is probably soaked." She spooned Leah some eggs and grabbed the milk bottle from the icebox. She poured Leah's milk and left with these words. "Take care, my little warrior."

Leah winced visibly. They were always saying that. She finished her eggs and drank the last of her milk. Placing her dishes in the sink, she headed back down to her room to get her notes on the symbols. She sped out the door and down the stairs, running her hand along the banister and flicking drops off the edge onto the streets below. When she reached the lower levels, she flipped her hand back and forth to discharge any remaining droplets. She stopped and admired the beautiful city in which she lived. The rising sun bounced off the spires of the library in the distance, making it appear jewel-encrusted. The rain had washed everything fresh and the crisp smell of recently watered gardens enriched her senses until she wanted to burst with joy. Below the summertime scents, a chill raised goose bumps on her arms. Shivering, she started down the cobblestone streets. Her long brown hair whipped in the wind as she inhaled deeply. Scents of the city swirled and danced before her nose. She broke into a run, dodging around street vendors and their customers. She stopped before the great library. Pausing for a moment, her hand on the great wooden knocker. At last she knocked, the dragon- shaped piece of metal slamming down against the ancient wood. The door swung open silently and a kindly face peered out from behind the master door. When Leah was spotted, the figure pulled the door open farther and Cinder Frost welcomed Leah.

"Come in! Come in!" She called. Beckoning Leah forward, Cinder began firing off questions. "What can I do to help you? Is there something in particular you need? Or are you just visiting the library? That is okay too. I love the smell of books. Did you know that if you smell a book to long, it starts to smell like frosting? No? Well, you should try it. It brings such a peaceful feeling. Did you know that once Healer Mayrea and me passed out from smelling that smell of all glorious smells too much? I recently learned that the more you smell something, the more appealing it becomes."

Leah smiled. Her heart twanged painfully. A feeling of desperation came over her. Cinder was rewarded for her questions, as the world's most renowned Healer and a brilliant woman. She was the Shining Star, A Beacon of Knowledge, and Bridge to the Stars. Leah was nothing. She choked back a sob and saw, in her mind's eye, a tall brown- haired woman guiding a faceless child to share her knowledge with. The child's face lit with delight as she toured them the gorgeous walkways filled with amazing books. She would be a Guardian of Knowledge, Friend of the Library, A healer. Now _that _would be better than ever being a warrior.

"Your mind is filled with deep thoughts, young one. What can I do?" Cinder's eyes were wide.

Leah took a deep breath. "I need to borrow some books on ancient text."

"Ancient text. Ancient _text. _No one has asked me about that in a long time." Cinder mused; she was again peering into the depths of Leah's face. Like trying to make out one of her prophecies, fathoms deep. "I have some on the theory. But I have only one that is written only in that language." Leah flinched. Cinder's eyes focused, her gaze intent. " Let us go find it." Leah shivered, remembering what her sister always said.

"_It is not natural, Leah. They don't hunt prey, they scrounge knowledge from the depths of your soul." Simone shuddered. "They are hawks, your secrets and desires are the victims of their hunt."_

Leah jolted herself back to the present as Cinder hurried away.

_So maybe she is a little strange. This life is a lonely one. I willingly choose that. She is not weird all the time._

Leah followed Cinder away through the hallways. They trailed a winding path through the fortress of knowledge. Cinder leading, Leah behind, watching the dust spiral in patterns in the twilit area that she dwelt now. Neither sunlight nor moonlight permeated the shadowy realm where she now dwelt. At last Cinder opened the door to her private back room. Shuffling around, Cinder searched the room for her book.

"Hmmm… " Cinder said, "It doesn't appear to be here."

She turned around slowly and looked deep into Leah's eyes. The predatory look disappeared. "Oh Leah." She whispered. "Starclan bless… please forgive…" She drew a deep shuddering breath. "What have you gotten yourself into."


End file.
